Chucky returns in a new 'Child's Play' and it weirdly works.

The news that Chucky was going to return on big screens yet again and this time as a killer robot did not sound too promising. However, while still being far from perfect, the result is still better than one could expect.

The story begins in a Vietnamese doll making factory with a worker being yelled at and eventually fired by his boss. Because of his anger, the man is messing up with a Buddi doll - a brand name of the interactive dolls, changing its settings. The action then moves to Chicago, where one day a single mom (Audrey Plaza) working as a clerk in retail gets one of the Buddi dolls return from a client who claims that the doll is destroyed, she manages to get the doll for her lonely son. Soon after the doll names himself Chucky and begins acting in a sinister way.

This remake is a modern and updated version of the original Child’s Play from 1989. This time instead of being a serial killer whose soul has been magically put inside the doll, Chucky is a robot, therefore in 2019, the doll is more convincing and realistic than a magic doll would have been. This particular creative decision by the studio and producers has been a topic of discussion and many debates for months before the release that, but the final outcome has been more than satisfying.

Child’s Play momently relies too heavily on comedic moments which very often end up being a little too flat and campy. However, the gore scenes make up for all that – certain scenes are truly disturbing, and the murders are violently wicked. The use of music was rather smart and fit very well the turns that the scenes were taking. The bloody moments of killing featured spine-chilling and unnerving music, while the more over-the-top scenes featured lighter almost absurd soundtrack. Chucky’s design is satisfying, looks scary enough.

The titular doll is voiced by Mark Hamill who clearly has so much fun, delivering creepy and over the top performance. Plaza gives an effective and against the type performance, however, it is Gabriel Bateman who is a real revelation in this movie – this very young actor carries the whole movie so easily and successfully.

Uncannily, the film has clearly been influenced by It and Stranger Things – with a bunch of kids teaming up and fighting the evil, which is both a plus and a minus. Even with its flaws – as long as the viewer accepts the movie’s tone – the way it jiggles between a horror and a comedy – they should be able to appreciate and enjoy it. Despite script walking on a thin line of poor writing, it somehow never manages to go awfully wrong. Child’s Play ended up being honestly decent.

3/5

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